Topic: Foxconn

Television network ABC has announced plans to broadcast a special edition of "Nightline" next week after having gained unprecedented access to document the working conditions inside factories at some of Apple's suppliers.

With full, independent audits of Apple assembly partner Foxconn's assembly facilities now under way, the initial assessment from the Fair Labor Association is that conditions at the Chinese manufacturing plants are much better than garment factories in China.

A "Greyhat" hacking group announced this week that it had successfully hacked contract manufacturer Foxconn and released usernames and passwords for vendors that could be used to place fraudulent orders for companies like Apple and Microsoft.

An activist group plans to hold demonstrations at Apple retail stores around the world Thursday, with a main gathering held at Apple's Grand Central Terminal location, to highlight claims of worker abuse by the iPhone maker's overseas component suppliers.

A new report features a woman who works 60 hours per week assembling iPad components in China, though she has never seen a full iPad in person. In response, Apple said it works to protect "every worker" in its worldwide supply chain.

Apple product assembler Foxconn plans to build five additional factories in Brazil to help cater to demand iPads and other tablets, which are expected to combine for an annual run rate of nearly 400 million units within five years.

The non-profit organization Business for Social Responsibilty has published an open letter to The New York Times pointing out several inaccuracies and misleading statements in the publication's recent report that suggested Apple has ignored worker problems at manufacturing partner Foxconn.

An in-depth report on Apple's manufacturing operations details the gains in flexibility, diligence and skilled labor availability that the company gains from producing its devices overseas, while offering rare commentary from its current and former executives.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook sent out an e-mail to his company's employees on Friday, announcing the release of the latest supplier responsibility support and reiterating his commitment to fair labor practices.

Chinese manufacturer and Apple partner Foxconn plans to expand the size of its iPhone-producing Zhengzhou plant, with the $1.1 billion construction expected to make it the largest smartphone-producing facility in the world.